Caps recognize ‘frustrating’ season-long struggle with slow starts originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — The Capitals found themselves playing catch-up again in Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers, their fourth straight game in which their opponent scored first. It was no coincidence the Capitals went 0-3-1 over that stretch as they struggled to overcome early deficits of 3-0, 1-0, 2-0 and 3-0, respectively.
“It’s been a trend for a while,” center Dylan Strome said after the game. “We talked [about it] a couple weeks ago and it was the same kind of thing where we got down early and then we started playing good and by that point it’s too late. So, obviously our starts are something that haven’t been great and not sure the exact numbers but feels like we’re down two- or three-nothing almost every game.”
On the season, the Capitals have allowed their opponents to score first in 44 of their 77 games. They carry a goal differential of minus-14 in the first period, which ranks 25th in the NHL ahead of seven teams that have all been well out of the playoff race for most of this season. The Capitals have attempted to make strong starts a priority at several points this year but, with five games left to go, they’ve still yet to find a reliable formula.
“I think it’s time to look in the mirror right now, for everybody, and realize we’ve got to play more consistent,” winger Aliaksei Protas said. “We’ve got to play a full 60 because the history of the club, for the last 10 years, have been like nothing but at least playoffs and fight for the [Stanley] Cup. That’s the expectation in this organization and we’ve just gotta be more consistent if we want to fight for the playoffs and for the Cup.”
The Capitals have faced an uphill battle for reaching the playoffs ever since they traded veterans Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway, Lars Eller and Marcus Johansson at the March 3 trade deadline. They were within striking distance of the second Wild Card spot for a few weeks, but a 4-7-3 record since the deadline has all but knocked them out of the hunt.
With a depleted roster, the Capitals’ margin for error has been thin. A couple of early mistakes can be the difference when playing against playoff-bound teams like the Rangers. Sunday’s game was the latest example of just how quickly a game can spiral out of control.
“I think that’s execution,” defenseman John Carlson said of playing from behind. “A lot of the times, I’m sure, would we like to play harder, play firmer, play whatever? Of course, I think there’s plenty of those times, but the puck is the key in this game and if you take care of it, if you move it well, things happen.
“Coming of the gates, we were just, for whatever reason, it’s not lack of talking about it, lack of care for it, I think it’s we got to find a way under the pressure to start well, to start patient maybe a little bit more patient I think is another thing we could do but it’s frustrating because, like I said, when we had a lot of good plays out there in the first and didn’t execute on any of them, really.”
